Losing Sea Access: The Geography of South America’s Landlocked Nations

2023-12-16 03:48:26

Unlike Bolivia, this other South American country never had direct access to the sea. Photo: LR composition/Gerson Cardoso/Freepik/Peru

Of the 13 countries that make up South America, only two do not have direct access to the sea. One of them, and the best known, is Bolivia. This Latin American nation lost the access it had to the Pacific Ocean following the war with Chile; However, it is not the only country in South America that does not have maritime coasts. Within the territories of the American continent, one more is considered a landlocked state.

Unlike Bolivia, this South American country, since its founding, has never had direct access to the sea. Despite this, it has two important rivers, which are used as river transportation routes to the Atlantic Ocean. What nation is it? Here we tell you.

What is the other country in South America that does not have direct access to the sea?

In addition to Bolivia, Paraguay It is the second country in South America, and in the entire American continent, that does not have direct access to the sea. Neither to the Pacific nor to the Atlantic Ocean. As explained by the Paraguayan historian Fabian Chamorro, in an interview for the radio program ‘Ataque 105’, this nation, also known as ‘The heart of America’, has never had maritime coasts.

“In fact, Paraguay, as an independent territorial entity, was never landlocked. When the province, which was called or known at that time as Paraguay, was territorially divided in the year 1617 and (Paraguay) following it became an independent republic, it no longer had access to the sea. In short, we never had access to the sea. (…) There are many myths that say that with the Triple Alliance war, Paraguay loses its exit, but no,” commented the historian. .

Paraguay is the second country in South America that does not have direct access to the sea. Photo: World trip

It is worth mentioning that, although Paraguay does not have maritime coasts, there are two rivers that cross the Latin American country: the Paraguay and Paraná rivers. These, together with the La Plata River (Argentina), form an important waterway, which allows the Paraguayan nation to have access to the Atlantic Ocean.

In the future, Paraguay will have access to the sea through Uruguay

At the end of August 2023, Paraguay and Uruguay announced that the brother countries signed an agreement to work on the construction of a port to have access to the sea. According to details provided by the Uruguayan government, the port will have an investment of 300 million dollars and will be carried out in the department of Soriano.

Paraguay will have access to the sea through an Uruguayan port. Photo: Moopio

What other countries in the world are landlocked?

Some countries in the world do not have direct access to the sea, which puts them in a peculiar geographical position, relying heavily on land borders and trade agreements for their maritime connections.

  • Austria
  • Serbia
  • Swiss
  • South Sudan
  • Mongolia
  • Hungary
  • Ethiopia
  • Tajikistan

Ethiopia is located in the Horn of Africa. Photo: 123RF

1702709439
#Bolivia #country #South #America #direct #access #sea #Paraguay #South #America #World

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.